On March 23, 2013, ninety powerlifters will come together at Apple Valley Christian Church in suburban Minneapolis to compete in the most important and fulfilling event of their lives. Ninety of the strongest men and women in the country will be under one roof to raise money for a non-profit organization called HopeKids. HopeKids exists to provide hope to families with children suffering from cancer and other life-threatening situations. Please read more about HopeKids and their mission here:

How am I involved? Not only will I be acting as the announcer and emcee of our event on March 23, I’m leading a special team of 28 of our 90 athletes in raising funds for HopeKids. These 28 lifters make up what we call Team Hope. Each Team Hope lifter has been paired with a specific child from the HopeKids organization, and each lifter has committed to raising at least $500 in that child’s name. While I will not be competing at this event, I have also committed to raising at least $500 toward this cause. If you, or anyone you know, would like to donate, you can go directly to my safe, secure Firstgiving page below:

I had the privilege of attending our Relentless kickoff event on January 20. Several of our Team Hope lifters put on an incredible show for the HopeKids families who braved the sub-sero temperatures. For two hours, our team lifted thousands of pounds of weights, flipped tractor tires, ripped phone books, tore license plates, rolled frying pans and crushed cans full of soda. And for two hours, some very sick kids and their families forgot all about cancer, and tumors, and treatments and surgeries.

Please take a look at the photos I’ve attached from our kickoff event, and please help me do my part to meet my fundraising goals for this group.